Ghana players are acutely aware of the humanitarian crisis encountered by people back home amidst flooding in capital Accra, with captain Jordan Ayew saying he is determined to bring joy to those affected when the Black Stars face Colombia in Friday’s World Cup round-of-32 meeting.
The West Africans are preparing for their first World Cup knockout game in 16 years against a backdrop of heavy rains and flooding in Accra, with over a dozen people losing their lives, over 450 people requiring rescue and tens of thousands of people facing displacement and property damage.
While the flooding has led to extensive political debate and accusations back home, Ayew is determined to use the crisis as a motivating factor for the national side, with the team following what’s happening in the capital.
“Everyone is aware, we are Ghanaians, we check the news, and we want to sympathise with our people, especially those from Accra,” Ayew told journalists on Thursday. “It’s not been an easy couple of days for everyone.
“Even me, I have friends there, the boys do as well, and everyone is aware, we’ve had a discussion about it.
“We know that it’s a motivation for us tomorrow to make our people proud and to take Ghana to the next level.”
The Black Stars are outsiders ahead of their meeting with Colombia, who are ranked 54 places ahead of them in the FIFA World Rankings, but will take confidence from an impressive Group L campaign in which they defeated Panama and held England to progress to the knockouts for the first time since 2010.
“We know we’ll be tested tomorrow, it will be challenging,” Ayew added. “Hopefully we can make the people proud. That’s the most important thing.
“In football, every game starts at 50-50. Tomorrow will be another tight game, but we’re going to do our best, put on a show, and see what happens.
“What I can guarantee is that we’ll make Africa proud and make Ghana proud.”
Ayew hopes that the purpose of giving succour to those back home can give the Black Stars the edge in what he anticipates will be a tight and cagey contest.
However, as they showed against England in Foxborough, adversity can bring the best out of this rugged, organised side, with standards and intensity dropping in their final group game — against Croatia — when nothing was at stake.
– Colombia vs. Ghana – Kick-off time, team news, how to watch World Cup round of 32 clash
– Ghana’s Brandon Thomas-Asante showing why he belongs in the Premier League with Coventry
– From Chelsea wonderkid to Black Stars elder statesman – Baba Rahman’s years of recovery lead to Kansas City
Ayew believes that they can repeat the level of performance they showed against the Three Lions in Boston as they face a team ranked eleventh in the world.
“It’s a big game and everyone has to show up,” he concluded. “We’ll wait and see, but I’m confident that playing under pressure is an attribute of ours. The boys will flourish under pressure.
“Personally, I think the Croatia game was a one-off. This is a knockout game, it’s totally different.
“We have to be ready for the challenge of facing a top team. The manager has told us about the challenge, we have to be ready for that.”
The match will be Ghana’s fourth World Cup knockout game ever, with the Black Stars having been defeated by Brazil in 2006, then beating the United States in 2010 before being held by Uruguay — and eventually losing on penalties — in an unforgettable quarterfinal.
